<p>@Theatreplease - a year at community college could improve your GPA - but then you create the transfer issue. Every school accepts freshman - NOT every school (esp in the BFA world) takes transfers - or they take a very small number. You would need to investigate to make sure the programs you really want would be open. That said, it’s a viable option. Are there schools that you really want that you don’t feel you are eligible for right now?</p>
<p>With regard to the weighted vs. unweighted GPA issue being discussed…colleges are going to calculate an unweighted GPA for all applicants because not every high school uses a weighted GPA system and even if they do, the method of weighted GPA will vary by high school. An unweighted GPA puts all candidates on an equal playing field when it comes to GPA. However, colleges will examine the rigor of an applicant’s chosen curriculum within the context of what their high school offers. So, that is sorta where the “weighted” comes into play. Strength of curriculum does matter to many colleges. </p>
<p>As a college counselor, when I am evaluating a student’s academic profile and chances at a college, I always calculate their unweighted GPA, even if their HS doesn’t use one. That is the figure to use for comparison purposes against the “stats” for admitted students that are listed for every college. Do not use your weighted GPA for that comparison. Still, I take into account the difficulty of the student’s courses. As well, while GPA matters, so does one’s specific grades. Colleges will see your entire transcript of grades, and don’t just examine the GPA. </p>
<p>When D applied to Barnard, I was surprised to hear from admissions directly that they did not unweight grades or use just the 5 academic areas to determine a recalculated GPA. They viewed each student’s gpa as is, but obviously could determine whether grades were weighted or not. So it depends on individual schools and is something that can be asked for specific schools before applying. Would also be interesting for a candidate to know what a school’s average gpa is based on in the common data set. Weighted or unweighted?</p>
<p>I think typically the Common Data Set uses unweighted grades. The weighting system varies too much from HS to HS. Some high schools do not even use weighted grades (my kids’ high school did NOT have that when they attended, though my D spearheaded a campaign to go to weighted grades and wrote a new school policy that the school board adopted that was implemented after she graduated). </p>
<p>My wife is a college counselor. For the most part she will tell you schools want unweighted grades and focus on core curriculum when making general admissions decisions. For the OP, the bottom line for you is that you need to look at college websites, see what the average GPAs are for incoming classes, and determine if yours is competitive. A call to the admissions office could help. But to gain admission to a BFA program, you have to first be admitted to the college as a general student. I know two kids that my D went to high school with that were offered spots in the same BFA program, but ultimately the offer was pulled because their grades did not reach the general admission criteria for the university. </p>
<p>As for going to a community college and studying acting and voice as a way to improve your chances, I suspect colleges would still look at course content and it may not help much. Others above have highlighted schools with lower GPA requirements for admission, so focus on those. That likely means your dreams of attending say Michigan or NYU are dashed, and that’s sad of course, but it is the unfortunate reality.</p>
<p>Elon definitely looks at weighted GPA, but they have their own way of calculating the weighted score. It can really benefit those taking AP or IB courses, even if their unweighted GPA isn’t that great.</p>
<p>Depending on your SAT it could make or break your application. NYU is most def. a longshot but I am not too sure about the others. </p>
<p>I was in the exact same boat as you last year, and getting into schools academically was the least of my problems. Some of the schools like NYU, Emerson, Syracuse, etc. that have a more prestigious academic reputation may be a longshot. Most of the conservatories and their ilk (CCPA, Point Park) only care about your audition or are very open with academics. But a TON of other places (Montclair, Rider, FSU) can be more lenient about academic acceptances if you’ve shown improvement, have a good SAT score, are going for an arts major, or any other of a mirage of reasons. Generally, schools understand falling off the boat for a year and will give you a free pass if your essay, recommendations, and SAT are on par. Columbia College Chicago has an open admissions policy, so they might be worth looking into as a safety.
Moral of the story: You’ll be fine!</p>
So far I’ve been academically accepted to Rider, Webster, Hartford, and Wright State. Now I’m just waiting to hear back from the programs. Thank you all for the advice!
Just to clarify, though academically Montclair only accepts about half their applicants, SATs and ACTs are no longer required, siting studies that GPA and other accomplishments are better predictors of success than standardized tests, which they say can be unfair to low-income students who can’t afford test prep classes.
Actually. Research shows that the two together (SAT and GPA) are the best predictor. “Validity studies have consistently found that high school grades and SAT scores together are substantial and significant predictors of achievement in college. In these studies, although high school grades are typically slightly better predictors of achievement, SAT scores add significantly to the prediction.” And of the SAT, the writing portion has the highest capability of predicting college GPA. (“Validity of the SAT for Predicting First-Year College Grade Point Average” Jennifer L. Kobrin, Brian F. Patterson, Emily J. Shaw, Krista D. Mattern, Sandra M. Barbut; “The SATand High School Grades: Utility in Predicting Success in College” Camara, Wayne J.; Echternacht, Gary)
Well I guess it depends on what studies you look at, as quite a few schools have gotten rid of them or made them optional, and I’m sure they didn’t make those decisions lightly. Wagner is another school with an MT program where the SAT/ACT is optional…there may be others.
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There’s also this idea of “grit,” that is, that people who try the hardest do the best. http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/tomorrows-college/grit/angela-duckworth-grit.html
Hard to measure, though.
Well my daughter is the exception to the rule then because she had a 4.4 GPA, 4 AP’s with 4’s and 5’s and her SAT’s and ACT’s weren’t stellar. She is in the Honor’s college at her university and just made the Dean’s list. I think the only time SAT’s or ACT’s are a true measure of anything is if there are no prep classes and the playing fields are equal.
@bisouu, it sounds to me like your daughter is the exception to every rule (in the best possible way, I mean)
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Scores are significantly less predictive, In combination with grades they are a little better but still not truly predictive. And it isn’t just the test prep. Even if high test scores indicate aptitude they tell you nothing about grit (which is work ethic) or ability to take direction and produce results. Grades and ECs tell you significantly more about future success.
The tricky thing is that grades are not not consistent from one school (or even teacher within a school) to another.
I never said that it was a rule, I stated that the most predictive model shows that using both standardized tests and GPA come the closest. Nothing is 100% accurate. Grades are not indicative of intelligence any more than standardized tests are, and neither are truly indicative of work ethic. There are many, many schools that do not require the tests. Some base the requirement on a threshold of high school GPA, or high school core class GPA. And while I don’t know of any, I am also certain that some have decided to forgo any standardized testing based on a variety of reasons. But I believe I saw an article stating that there is only one university that rejects all test scores outright (someplace in Mass.). That indicates that, while not necessary, the schools are still placing some weight on the idea of SAT/ACT.
There is no perfect way to determine whether or not a student will be successful at an institution of higher learning. The simple reality is that circumstances play an immense role in success at this level. BFA students, by and large, tend to be good students who have strong GPA’s and a high matriculation and retention rate. That stands to reason. Like those students who are true student athletes, a theatre student has had to balance so much after school work, that they understand the needs of university life better than the general student population.
Finally, we have taken chances on students in the past that have been borderline in terms of GPA and test scores. Some have been wonderful as students. Some have not. We have also had excellent high school students leave us due to academic difficulties after they began college and realized the freedom it offered. Remember that studies do not take into account the outliers. They speak in terms of trends and statistical norms. Most universities will, if asked, look at the outliers and allow an appeal to academic acceptance. It is their way of acknowledging that no model is 100% accurate.
My D had very similar GPA and SATs. School isn’t her thing. So far, she’s gotten in to four programs for MT (still waiting on three more). BUT the “merit aid” was not offered, and we make too much for her to qualify for PELL or SEOG grants. So my husband and I will need to take out loans for her to attend. Trying to figure that out now…
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